1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic still camera, and in particular, to an electronic still camera capable of selecting recording media on which still pictures are to be recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been known an electronic still camera in which an object field is shot by use of a solid-state imaging device so as to record signals of the still image picture on a recording medium such as a magnetic disk. As the recording medium of such an electronic still camera a semiconductor memory device is empolyed, for example.
Since a high-speed write operation is possible by use of a semiconductor memory device, an operation to record an image thus shot on the storage can be accomplished in a short period of time. In consequence, the recording operation is applicable to pictures sequentially shot at a high speed. However, because the semiconductor memory device does not have a sufficient storage capacity and is expensive, there arises in some cases a problem that the storage capacity is too small to record a great number of pictures. In addition, the semiconductor memory device is subject to an influence from static electricity and is hence possibly prevented from achieving the recording operation. Furthermore, in a case of an integrated-circuit, IC memory integrated in a camera, a backup power supply is necessary to keep therein the recorded contents, which leads to a problem that the IC memory cannot be separated from the camera for the preservation thereof.
In contrast, when other recording media such as those employed to record a picture according to an optical recording system and a magnetic recording scheme are used, the disadvantageous features above such as the insufficiency of the capacity are removed. However, the recording speed on the recording medium is less than that developed on the semiconductor memory device, and hence there exists a problem that it is impossible, for example, for a camera successively shooting pictures at a high speed to achieve the recording operation thereof on such recording media.